Last week, a number of Apple supporters took me to task for my comment that Apple made the technology equivalent of sugar water and that Steve Jobs gave up on his goal of changing the world. I’m hardly original in thinking this way. It does amaze me that not a single Apple fan cared about global warming, philanthropy, or even Apple’s lack of computing prowess. They earn their reputations every week. This week, I’ll argue that Apple did unintentionally change the world by making Windows — especially Windows 7 — better.
Apple helped MS and Palm in the same way as Pefontaine "helped" other runners. By demonstrating what could be done he made the other runners work harder. This is a concept the Greeks understood with their Olympics and likely it is older than that: competition.
First of all you have it all wrong. Apple paid for some technologies to Parc. They did not steal. MS stole and never paid for it. Don't think XEROX had anything close to what Macintosh 1.0 had when it was released. A ton of technologies had to be INVENTED at Apple, that Microsoft liberally stole from them. Here are just a few things of what Apple had to invent.
- Progress dialogs
- Confirmation dialogs (Star had one line at the top of the screen where you clicked Yes or No.)
- Drag and Drop on desktop -- In Star the user selected the icon, pressed a keyboard key for Copy or Move, then clicked at the destination. Macintosh Drag and Drop feels more natural.
- Macintosh icons have much better labels. It's a small thing, but in Star the label is part of the icon, so more than about 8 characters gets chopped off.
- Tool palettes -- Star didn't use these. The first instance I'm aware of is in MacPaint.
- Menus -- Macintosh had a menubar, Star didn't. Star had a few menus that popped up from buttons in windows headers or dialog boxes, but it didn't use a menubar. In fact it used very few menu commands -- relying instead on a few keys on the keyboard and property sheets (dialogs). See http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/1/p6-lg.jpg
-- Better designs for Radio Buttons, Checkboxes -- Star's dialog box widgets really weren't as well designed as those in Macintosh. Nore were there as many different kinds of widets.
- Setting properties via menus -- Macintosh used menus like Font, Size to set properties on content. In Star you had to use the property sheet.
- Keyboard Equivalents (aka Command-Keys) -- Star didn't use these, but they had been used earlier in SmallTalk-80 at PARC.
- Color -- Star didn't have color until much later than Macintosh, and it wasn't done nearly as well.
-Smalltalk has no Finder
-resources and dual-fork files for storing layout and international information apart from code
-definition procedures
- drag-and-drop system extension and configuration
-types and creators for files
-direct manipulation editing of document
-disk, and application names
-redundant typed data for the clipboard
-multiple views of the file system
-desk accessories
-control panels, among others
-pull down menus
-imaging and windowing models based on QuickDraw
-the clipboard
-cleanly internationalizable software.
Your missing the point. Its the dude that steals all the ideas that gets to write the history! Or, something like that. lol
Seriously though, MS can't, due to "backward compatibility", and in some cases, basic refusal to listen to anyone about problems other than "security", to fix issues that have been around since Windows 3.0, when they where trying to bury other innovators, like Lotus 1-2-3. Do we really want an anti-virus from some morons who are likely to make a mistake, which causes, oh, say.. a few open source applications to get marked as "dangerous", by accident or otherwise, in their virus DB, and them deciding, "A well, this is like that Lotus bug, which even in 7 still insists certain days in certain years don't exist, its not worth *fixing*." The idea of MS making a virus scanner is something that I am not sure to be terrified of, or just laugh at. All you have to do is look at their fracking useless excuse for "firewall" software, which barely gives you enough actual control over what its doing to run Windows correctly, never mind run anything that requires things you ***can't*** tell it to allow you to do at all, like TCP/IP based traces, instead of some ISP blocking ICMP (just one off the top of my head, since its one I tried to find a way around a while back), to see how likely it is for them to get "virus" protection right, or provide you with any sort of "sane" way to control what its doing.
Here is my bet. It will do the same lame thing the "Onetouch" backup software does (from yet another company of morons), and ignore certain files, because you don't have the mega-super-expenso version, not let you deny it to right to look for them in certain folders, so it will end up taking 8 hours to check a 1TB drive, since it will look through "every single" archive, including gigs of "game files", trying to find viruses amongst bitmaps, fonts, mesh data, etc., which couldn't have gotten in there in the first place, and it will hang every once in a while, because it will be too stupid to ignore the 3.5" drive you only have for the "rare" times you want to install something under DOSBox, but some glitch in its code will send it on an infinite loop 1:30 times, the moment it "attempts" to access the device. lol
Yeah. So... looking forward to what ever mess they make of virus protection, given how "well" they manage to avoid stupid mistake every place else.
This guy, Rob, is hilarious. I am admirer of Steven Colbert, because he has insane ability to counter facts and reality with unique sense of logic-illogic. Rob reminds me that, that's why I come back.
If Mr. Enderle, you are trying the same stunt, good luck. Otherwise watch out -- you may have been developing a unique mental condition.
A dissection of your OPINION and a couple of questions.
"Microsoft is once again looking at what Apple has done" - is that how you rationalize your statement that "Apple contributed substantially to improvements in Windows, especially Windows 7"
"The Palm Pre -- and I played with it for a while -- is actually better, in a lot of ways that count" - Please explain these ways "that count". So you played with a Pre for a while? good to know that you form your technical opinions on playing with an unfinished demo OS Pre. Do you give as little effort as possible to form your opinion?
"Apple's continued threats against Palm indicate it doesn't have a good competitive response" - This statement makes me wonder what is in all those emails you send to your critics that you do not want posted to the web. Could it be that you don't have a good competitive response? Since when has a companies requirement by law to protect their copyright from being infringed upon an indication that it is no longer competitive?
"Apple simply enabled another company to actually change the world." - innovation builds on innovation. Intel made a processor that enabled another company to make a computer that enabled another company etc. Every innovation is a step toward changing the world.
"This is the best-prepared Microsoft has ever been since I started covering the company" - It better be the best prepared after the disaster entitled "Vista" . microsoft PR is doing a great job letting everyone know
"Microsoft has gone beyond Apple in areas like virus protection, in that it now is building its own free antivirus product" - it is needed badly, but i hardly see how this is caused by Apple somehow as you stated "Apple contributed substantially to improvements in Windows, especially Windows 7"
Windows will be more secure -- on paper, anyway -- and the virus writers will likely switch their focus to Apple - this sentence, especially the word "likely" makes you sounds very indifferent. It sounds like you are already doubting that statement. How would you explain the articles floating around the net entitled "New Windows 7 hack purports to be "unfixable"". It doesnt sound like virus writers switched their focus to Apple.
"Still, it played a major part in propelling Microsoft's aggressive move to improve Windows". - Really? Im surprised. You would think that the utter failure of Vista and the next 6 years it took to fix it a major part in propelling Microsoft's aggressive move to improve Windows
"In the end, Apple made Windows 7 better -- and I bet it will regret this a lot, come October." - again i have to ask you how you are coming to this conclusion that Apple made Windows better. Apple seems to have done nothing but make money from the hordes of people Vista disappointed.
If you will excuse me, I now have to restart my crashing Dell (aka piece of junk)
It took about two paragraphs into this one to find out Enderle's attempting to rewrite history. Normally, he's just a blithering idiot making it up as he goes along, which is easily ignored. However now he chooses to define Apple in terms of how the competition copied them. For the record, it's not just "fanboys," or whatever he thinks we all are. He's wrong about more than just Apple, and he proves it with every post. I feel sorry for anyone who actually PAYS Enderle for "information."
Gee whiz, Enderle running a consultancy shop of one, tries to explain all with his whining dribble. Little does he realize that the iPhone/iPod Touch are far from 'sugar water'. Why does he give credit to Microsoft for copying others and who needs a 1 TB server (unless you have a gigantic pirated movie or porn collection)
Rob, get your history right. Microsoft didn't steal from Apple, the both stole from Xerox PARC (and the Xerox Star computer). Both toured PARC and Apple even gave Xerox Apple stock in exchange for its engineering visits. The Apple GUI is just as much a derivitive from Xerox as Window was. (And don't forget Digital Research's GEM GUI that was out at that same time too)
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How Apple Made Windows 7 Better
Posted by: Rob Enderle May 11, 2009 04:00 AMLast week, a number of Apple supporters took me to task for my comment that Apple made the technology equivalent of sugar water and that Steve Jobs gave up on his goal of changing the world. I’m hardly original in thinking this way. It does amaze me that not a single Apple fan cared about global warming, philanthropy, or even Apple’s lack of computing prowess. They earn their reputations every week. This week, I’ll argue that Apple did unintentionally change the world by making Windows — especially Windows 7 — better.
- Progress dialogs
- Confirmation dialogs (Star had one line at the top of the screen where you clicked Yes or No.)
- Drag and Drop on desktop -- In Star the user selected the icon, pressed a keyboard key for Copy or Move, then clicked at the destination. Macintosh Drag and Drop feels more natural.
- Macintosh icons have much better labels. It's a small thing, but in Star the label is part of the icon, so more than about 8 characters gets chopped off.
- Tool palettes -- Star didn't use these. The first instance I'm aware of is in MacPaint.
- Menus -- Macintosh had a menubar, Star didn't. Star had a few menus that popped up from buttons in windows headers or dialog boxes, but it didn't use a menubar. In fact it used very few menu commands -- relying instead on a few keys on the keyboard and property sheets (dialogs). See http://www.digibarn.com/friends/curbow/star/1/p6-lg.jpg
-- Better designs for Radio Buttons, Checkboxes -- Star's dialog box widgets really weren't as well designed as those in Macintosh. Nore were there as many different kinds of widets.
- Setting properties via menus -- Macintosh used menus like Font, Size to set properties on content. In Star you had to use the property sheet.
- Keyboard Equivalents (aka Command-Keys) -- Star didn't use these, but they had been used earlier in SmallTalk-80 at PARC.
- Color -- Star didn't have color until much later than Macintosh, and it wasn't done nearly as well.
-Smalltalk has no Finder
-resources and dual-fork files for storing layout and international information apart from code
-definition procedures
- drag-and-drop system extension and configuration
-types and creators for files
-direct manipulation editing of document
-disk, and application names
-redundant typed data for the clipboard
-multiple views of the file system
-desk accessories
-control panels, among others
-pull down menus
-imaging and windowing models based on QuickDraw
-the clipboard
-cleanly internationalizable software.
http://www.folklore.org
http://rixstep.com/2/20090326,00.shtml
Seriously though, MS can't, due to "backward compatibility", and in some cases, basic refusal to listen to anyone about problems other than "security", to fix issues that have been around since Windows 3.0, when they where trying to bury other innovators, like Lotus 1-2-3. Do we really want an anti-virus from some morons who are likely to make a mistake, which causes, oh, say.. a few open source applications to get marked as "dangerous", by accident or otherwise, in their virus DB, and them deciding, "A well, this is like that Lotus bug, which even in 7 still insists certain days in certain years don't exist, its not worth *fixing*." The idea of MS making a virus scanner is something that I am not sure to be terrified of, or just laugh at. All you have to do is look at their fracking useless excuse for "firewall" software, which barely gives you enough actual control over what its doing to run Windows correctly, never mind run anything that requires things you ***can't*** tell it to allow you to do at all, like TCP/IP based traces, instead of some ISP blocking ICMP (just one off the top of my head, since its one I tried to find a way around a while back), to see how likely it is for them to get "virus" protection right, or provide you with any sort of "sane" way to control what its doing.
Here is my bet. It will do the same lame thing the "Onetouch" backup software does (from yet another company of morons), and ignore certain files, because you don't have the mega-super-expenso version, not let you deny it to right to look for them in certain folders, so it will end up taking 8 hours to check a 1TB drive, since it will look through "every single" archive, including gigs of "game files", trying to find viruses amongst bitmaps, fonts, mesh data, etc., which couldn't have gotten in there in the first place, and it will hang every once in a while, because it will be too stupid to ignore the 3.5" drive you only have for the "rare" times you want to install something under DOSBox, but some glitch in its code will send it on an infinite loop 1:30 times, the moment it "attempts" to access the device. lol
Yeah. So... looking forward to what ever mess they make of virus protection, given how "well" they manage to avoid stupid mistake every place else.
If Mr. Enderle, you are trying the same stunt, good luck. Otherwise watch out -- you may have been developing a unique mental condition.
"Microsoft is once again looking at what Apple has done" - is that how you rationalize your statement that "Apple contributed substantially to improvements in Windows, especially Windows 7"
"The Palm Pre -- and I played with it for a while -- is actually better, in a lot of ways that count" - Please explain these ways "that count". So you played with a Pre for a while? good to know that you form your technical opinions on playing with an unfinished demo OS Pre. Do you give as little effort as possible to form your opinion?
"Apple's continued threats against Palm indicate it doesn't have a good competitive response" - This statement makes me wonder what is in all those emails you send to your critics that you do not want posted to the web. Could it be that you don't have a good competitive response? Since when has a companies requirement by law to protect their copyright from being infringed upon an indication that it is no longer competitive?
"Apple simply enabled another company to actually change the world." - innovation builds on innovation. Intel made a processor that enabled another company to make a computer that enabled another company etc. Every innovation is a step toward changing the world.
"This is the best-prepared Microsoft has ever been since I started covering the company" - It better be the best prepared after the disaster entitled "Vista" . microsoft PR is doing a great job letting everyone know
"Microsoft has gone beyond Apple in areas like virus protection, in that it now is building its own free antivirus product" - it is needed badly, but i hardly see how this is caused by Apple somehow as you stated "Apple contributed substantially to improvements in Windows, especially Windows 7"
Windows will be more secure -- on paper, anyway -- and the virus writers will likely switch their focus to Apple - this sentence, especially the word "likely" makes you sounds very indifferent. It sounds like you are already doubting that statement. How would you explain the articles floating around the net entitled "New Windows 7 hack purports to be "unfixable"". It doesnt sound like virus writers switched their focus to Apple.
"Still, it played a major part in propelling Microsoft's aggressive move to improve Windows". - Really? Im surprised. You would think that the utter failure of Vista and the next 6 years it took to fix it a major part in propelling Microsoft's aggressive move to improve Windows
"In the end, Apple made Windows 7 better -- and I bet it will regret this a lot, come October." - again i have to ask you how you are coming to this conclusion that Apple made Windows better. Apple seems to have done nothing but make money from the hordes of people Vista disappointed.
If you will excuse me, I now have to restart my crashing Dell (aka piece of junk)